Teska led a team of urban designers, architects, and finance experts to develop implementation elements of a Quality-of-Life Plan for Austin, a neighborhood in Chicago. Austin is the largest community area in Chicago and has the second-highest population of nearly 100,000 residents. The plan was led by Austin Coming Together with support from the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to galvanize support for specific goals and strategies that would bring jobs, secure housing, and youth and education advancement for the Austin community.
Teska’s work focused on urban design, market analysis, and feasibility and facilitated a community charrette with Brook Architecture and Axia Development that resulted in recommendations for the reuse of sites on Chicago Avenue, Lake Street, and Madison Street.
Our team’s focus was on the reuse of Emmet School, a vacant former school to be rehabilitated into a mixed-use affordable housing, training, and light manufacturing facility. The team developed estimates for architectural massing diagrams and a financial pro forma including sources and uses of funds.
The team also worked with the community to develop concepts for the revival of Chicago Avenue including new cultural and housing uses along the corridor.
